The Cotswolds has been named as the worst area in the entire country for burglars going unpunished - but Gloucestershire police dispute the claim.

Figures from a Freedom of Information request by the Daily Telegraph newspaper showed 293 residential burglaries recorded between January 1 2018 and November 18 2018, with a suspect identified in just 10 cases.

That, the Telegraph said, put the detection rate for burglary in the Cotswolds at 3.5 per cent. The newspaper said that put the area at the bottom of the list nationally.

Gloucestershire Constabulary though disputes the figures, and supplied Gloucestershire Live with data that shows there were in fact 369 recorded residential burglaries in the Cotswolds in the same period - 345 of which have been 'case closed' with no suspect. That puts the detection rate at 6.5 per cent.

And they also revealed what makes the Cotswolds so difficult to police against determined, organised gangs.

'Difficult to apprehend'

Garrett Gloyn, local Policing Sergeant for the Cotswolds said: “The Cotswolds is predominantly an affluent, rural district that unfortunately attracts organised crime groups from other parts of the county, region and in some cases, country.

"These groups are forensically aware, determined and difficult to apprehend and, combined with factors such as the vast road network, this makes it extremely challenging to secure evidence of a high enough standard to convict people at court.

"However we have been doing considerable work to combat organised crime groups and recently dismantled part of a group who had committed high value burglaries within the Cotswolds area following a successful cross border operation involving Thames Valley Police, West Midlands Police and West Mercia Police.

“Even where we may not secure evidence to convict organised criminals of burglary we will pursue all other offences they may be committing and every possible means of stopping their offending. This work won’t be reflected in the figures.

“For the relatively small number of burglars that do live in the Cotswolds the local policing team are as meticulous as possible, not only in seeking custodial sentences where necessary but also in pursuing all avenues to reduce the risk of re-offending.

“This includes working with local social housing providers where offending in the area amounts to a breach of tenancy or by obtaining Criminal Behaviour Orders on local burglars effectively banning them from town centres at night.

"We should also stress that for the first time, shed and outbuilding break-ins are included in these figures and in a rural area this will also affect the figures.

"We would like to reiterate that we are committed to tackling burglary and know how devastating its impact can be. We can also reassure people that an investigation is only closed when all proportionate lines of enquiry such as forensic opportunities, house to house enquiries and CCTV gathering have been exhausted."

How to protect yourself against burglary

Stop sharing your location and holidays on social media

If you post your holiday snaps when you’re abroad, check-in to a restaurant, or update your status when you’re out and about you’re effectively telling a burglar that your property is open for a viewing.

We visit many homes that are burgled when people are on holiday. Protect your memories; upload your posts and photos after the event.

You might also want to take this time to check your social networking security settings and remove people who you don’t think need to see your updates.

Use time switches attached to lamps

When the nights are drawing in avoid allowing your property to look empty when you’re at work or out.

Time switches are a relatively quick to install and cheap to purchase (around £5). A good idea is to use at least one for the front of your home and one for the back.

Stop sharing your valuables online

When you share your expensive bike, watch, medals and jewellery online you might just be advertising it to a burglar.

Use a fake TV burglar deterrent device

These devices cost between £10 and £25 and give the illusion that someone is watching the TV in the property. You can purchase energy-efficient devices with timers from a variety of online shops.

Keep your doors, windows and back gate locked – even when you’re there

We shouldn’t need to tell you to keep your doors and windows locked when you leave the house. You do that already – right? What you might not do already is keep your front door, back door and windows locked when you’re in the house.

Distraction theft, which can include someone talking to you at the front door while someone else enters your home from the back door or windows, has been on the rise nationally for the past few years. Protect yourself by keeping your back door and windows locked.

You probably wouldn’t expect to have a burglar come into your house through the front door while you’re there. It can however happen; keep your front door locked too.

Make sure there are no tools or equipment in your garden that can be used against you

You’d be surprised how many times we visit a property where a person’s own tools left in the garden such as a ladder or spade has been used to force a burglar’s way into a property. Make sure all of your tools and equipment are locked securely away.

Put up a ‘Beware of the dog’ sign

Burglars aren’t usually keen on dogs since they can bark and bite. Use a simple and cheap sign to put off a potential visit.

Move your wheelie bin

Where is your wheelie bin? Is it next to your locked back gate? Could someone use it to quickly get over the gate? If so move it away.

Check if your home looks like a shop

Go outside your property and have a look through the windows. What can you see? A laptop, tablet, games console, jewellery, expensive designer hand bag? Put all of these items out of sight from the window and away from prying eyes.

Move your house and car keys

Never keep your keys in the door lock. It takes seconds for someone to open your door and take the keys to use at a later date. You probably won’t hear someone open your door and think that you’ve just lost your keys.

We know that cars are a target for burglars. Move all your keys away from doors and keep them stored out of sight. Make life difficult for burglars.

Turn on the radio

We know that burglars like to see if you’re in by knocking the door first or ringing the doorbell. Even if you’re not in, the sound coming from a radio might be enough to make a burglar think twice about trying to break into your home.

Put up a window sticker

Do you have a great alarm or CCTV? Put up a window sticker to tell burglars. Even if you don’t have them (and we advise you to at least get an alarm installed) it could still put off a burglar.

Close the curtains as it's getting dark

When it gets dark outside and you turn the lights on inside, again, your home becomes a shop. Close the curtains or blinds as soon as it starts getting dark so there’s nothing to look at out from outside.

Make your property look lived-in and loved

Keep your property looking tidy from the outside, open and close your curtains regularly and keep hedges and plants around your property trimmed so that there's plenty of natural surveillance from your neighbours and the road.

Apple products have the ability to use Find My iPhone and Activation Lock. This feature means that your Apple ID and password are required before anyone can turn the Find My iPhone feature off, erase your device or reactivate and use your device.

This feature is available for iPhones, iPads, Macs and Apple Watch OS2.

Using this feature can make your devices unattractive to thieves and help you to keep your device secure, even if it's in the wrong hands. You may even be able to use the feature to recover the device.

Consider buying a letterbox cage

If you’ve not put your keys away and have left them by the front door it’s possible that a burglar can use a pole through your letter box to pick up your keys and use them to enter your property. By installing a letter box cage you can help prevent this technique being used against you.

Buy good quality locks for your shed and consider adding wire mesh to any windows

Sheds are very often a target for burglars. Make yours difficult to get into by purchasing a good quality lock and adding wire mesh to the windows. If your shed has electricity running to it consider adding an alarm too.

'One of the safest places to live and work'

Cotswolds police Inspector Karen Ellis moved to reassure residents that the Cotswolds is a safe place, which she and her team work hard to protect.

She said: “As the Inspector responsible for policing in the Cotswolds I really care about the level of service and response we give to the public and strive for it to be the best we can provide.

“These are challenging times and the number of police officers have reduced but we are always examining our working practices to enable us to be as efficient and effective as possible.

“The dedicated Neighbourhood Policing Team for the Cotswolds consists of highly motivated officers who are passionate about their policing areas and are keen to address local concerns and tackle crime trends supported with local response and investigation teams.

“These officers have been given designated areas and therefore are able to work with communities to build relationships and develop intelligence in relation to ongoing crime issues.

Below is an interactive map displaying every report made to the police in Gloucestershire in November 2018, including burglary:

“The number of residential burglaries in the Cotswold Policing Area shows as an increase but it’s really important to recognise that the numbers reported have increased due to the change in crime recording categories which now include sheds/garages and outbuildings in the classification of residential burglaries.

“The general profile of offenders committing burglaries in the Cotswolds is different to general offenders in the urban areas in that the crimes are often more sophisticated and committed by organised crime groups from outside of Gloucestershire.

“Whilst there are organised crime groups from within our county there are several very active ones travelling some considerable distances to commit crime in the Cotswolds and this presents challenges and also requires the maintenance of the good cross boundary working relationships with our neighbouring forces.

“These factors do result in a low detection rate and all opportunities to address this are regularly explored and reviewed.

“Criminal Justice procedures can be lengthy and as a result some of our recent arrests/disruption work cannot be shared and isn’t reflected in the statistics at this time but there is work ongoing to address some of the recent crime issues.

“Whilst I accept that recent media coverage may appear alarming the fact is that the Cotswold Policing Area is one of low crime and a safe place to live and work.”

The Gloucestershire police budget has been cut by around £30million since 2010 and it has lost almost 250 officers. It has also been asked to find £6million savings in the next three years.